Be Like Tike

With the recent run of Penguins’ success, there is an unfortunate overabundance of bandwagon fans. These are the people who head down to Mellon Arena in their Crosby, Malkin or Laraque jerseys; whip out their lawn chairs and proceed to cheer every time the Penguins score a goal, but who also wouldn’t have dreamed of going near the Arena, even for rink-side seats, as little as five years ago. Take this simple quiz to find out whether or not you are a bandwagon fan. Keep reading →

We apologize for the lack of posts this week.  It has been particularly busy with a trip to Washington, D.C. and other major commitments.  We thank you for bearing with us and should be completely back to normal by early Saturday morning.  Otherwise, we will just post whenever we have time, which will probably include one or two posts tomorrow night, but no game recaps at all for the rest of this week.   Thanks again,

Adam and Matt

The Pirates are reportedly down to considering five players with their second overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft.  Two of these players are Georgia high school SS Tim Beckham and Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez, both players who have performed this season and both players who are expected to become major league sluggers.

Just from following the two over the past season, right now I would have to say that Beckham is the better choice since he would give the Pirates more versatility and, even though he plays SS right now, maybe be able to move over to 3B at some point.  He is widely considered the most well-rounded player in the draft, as well, something that the Pirates should definitely take into consideration.

Alvarez is a slugger, but he has struggled at times and had a broken hand earlier this year.  Last year, I saw him draw comparisons to a young Albert Pujols on one message board, something that wasn’t shouted down too loudly.

Both players are probably going to hit, but with P Trevor Crowe or Florida State C Buster Posey probably going first overall to the Tampa Rays, the Pirates are going to need to get this pick right as whoever it is will immediately become the second-best prospect in the Pirates’ organization.

There was no doubt about it. Mike Lange’s back was scratched with a hacksaw and Elvis left the building in one fell swoop on Sunday afternoon as the Penguins thoroughly defeated the Flyers by a score of 6-0 to head to the Stanley Cup Finals against either Detroit or Dallas. The game was never in any sense of doubt as the Penguins scored early and often, with all of the Penguins’ star forwards getting in on the act. Keep reading →

Alfonso Soriano did everything he could to beat the Pirates on Saturday afternoon, going 5-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs.  Nate McLouth, however, continued his quest to prove that April was not a fluke, hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning to put the Pirates ahead 7-5.  That lead would become uncomfortable in the bottom half of the ninth as Matt Capps let up a run, with the Pirates managing to just hold on to the 7-6 victory. Keep reading →

The Penguins were going to lose eventually.  Fortunately it happened now, while they were up 3-0 in the series instead of during the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings, when the whole thing starts at 0-0.  The problem on Thursday night was a slow start, as the Penguins fell behind 3-0 in the first period, a lead that they would be unable to overcome en route to a 4-2 loss. Keep reading →